May 2011

I’ve decided it’s time to tinker with what I eat via an elimination diet. I start today, almost exactly one year after starting paleo/primal. Why now? Eliminating grains, legumes, and vegetable oils from my diet, although a big change, was pretty easy – I couldn’t care less about vegetable oils, and I don’t really miss grains or legumes. I’ve been eating delicious, whole foods, and that’s tough to beat. I think that if I had tried to cut out anything else when I first started, it would’ve made paleo/primal a lot harder. I also figured that at first I’d just coast by getting rid of the worst offenders. A year in, I’m ready for some more experimentation. Keep reading…

Curry is one of my favourite meals to both eat and make. Indian spices are so fragrant and colorful – I really enjoy cooking with them. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, all the various spices don’t have to pack heat – they can just be incredibly flavorful. And you definitely do not need rice – just eat curry like you would a stew. There are so many different kinds of curries you can make, and I think some people are intimidated by the variety of exotic spices that can be used – but my all time favourite is this simple coconut chicken curry. The best part is the juicy raisins that have plumped up with coconut milk. Goes well with some grilled or pan-fried asparagus. Keep reading…

One of the biggest challenges of the paleo/primal lifestyle is trying to find something decent to eat when out and about, especially when out of town. Eating out when you can plan ahead and pick and choose from various menus, especially if you’re spending a little more, poses less of a problem. But re-fueling quickly and on the cheap is another story.

Up until now, I figured that occasionally grabbing a bite to eat from a fast food joint can’t be all that bad. How badly could they possibly screw up a salad with some grilled chicken or a bun-less burger? Well, I underestimated them. I knew the quality of the meat was questionable, that everything would be cooked in vegetable oils, and I always tried to avoid sauces. And although I wasn’t expecting a clean ingredient list, actually looking at it made me re-think fast food. The reason I even checked on the ingredients is because I had a rather unsettled stomach for hours after dinner. And I remember being surprised at just how crappy the ingredients were for the Wendy’s salad I had in Vegas (which, when I think back, actually caused stomach problems afterward as well, I had just figured it was due to the lettuce not being all that fresh).

Someone please explain to me why it’s necessary to season something as basic and simple as a burger with all this crap? Keep reading…

I had never watched the Biggest Loser until recently. Hearing that two of the contestants, Irene and Courtenay went paleo sparked some interest. The show’s pretty much what I expected – conventional weight loss wisdom pushed to the extreme and dramatized for television. Obviously anyone following the paleo/primal lifestyle would have many issues with the show’s approach to weight-loss, from the chronic cardio/over-exercise, to a low-fat starvation diet, to even the very accelerated rate of weight loss. And considering that it’s conventional wisdom that helped these people along the path to obesity, the contestants’ struggle with weight-loss won’t simply end when the show does. I definitely don’t want to take away from the contestants’ accomplishments though – the amount of weight they lose and their determination to keep losing is impressive, and clearly judging by the show’s popularity, inspiring to many.

Having said all that, I was excited when I heard that Irene and Courtenay were going paleo to up their odds of winning. That’s a pretty gutsy move considering it’s basically the complete opposite of their weight-loss strategy thus far. Irene, if she gets voted to be part of the final three, is basically betting $250,000 on paleo. Courtenay, who had already been eliminated, is betting $100,000. Keep reading…